title: A brief history of IL-9.
abstract: IL-9 was first described in the late 1980s as a member of a growing number of cytokines that had pleiotropic functions in the immune system. Although many biological functions have been attributed to IL-9, it remains an understudied cytokine. A resurgence of interest in IL-9 has been spurred by recent work demonstrating a role for IL-9 in regulating inflammatory immunity and defining the transcription factors that activate the Il9 gene in cells that most efficiently produce IL-9. In this review, we summarize the characterization of IL-9 biological activities, highlight roles for the cytokine that are clearly defined, and outline questions regarding IL-9 functions that still require further exploration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Herman B. Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
authors.forename: Ritobrata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goswami
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D016906:Interleukin-9 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D053651:Receptors, Interleukin-9 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: C508607:IL9 protein, human; D016906:Interleukin-9; C485882:Lancl1 protein, mouse; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D053651:Receptors, Interleukin-9